Method of cooling hollow glass articles, such as bottles



T. BAKER June 22, 1948.

METHOD OF COOLING HOLLOW GLASS ARTICLES, SUCH AS BOTTLES Filed April 25, 1942 In ven tor: Theodore C. Baker Witness:

A f torn qys.

Patented June 22, 1948 -ME'1HOD .oF.cooLlNosuoLLow ness ARTICLES,- SUCH AS BOTTLES TheodoreILBaJker, Newington, Cnn., assignor .toflanttord-Empire Company, Hal-ff ,xaconporafionsdf Delaware rd, Conn,

.Application April '25, 1942,,YSeii2iII-No. f4ll, 558

3 ifilaims.

"This invention relates to the art of cooling glassware, particularly hollow glass articles such as bottles, as from "a temperature substantially above to *a temperature below the strain point of the glass of such an article to effect temper-- in-g thereof.

In order to effect more rapid "cooling of a 'glass article through its tempering temperature range than can be accomplished by the use of a cooling "fluid consisting of compressed air -'or other suitable gas alone, it has been proposed to add water in "a finely divided state or spray to the air or other gas, There are, however, serious difficulties to be overcome before this proposal can be satisfactorily carried into efiect in a tempering operation which involves the necessity of rapidly cooling or chilling the internal surface of a hollow glass article such as a bottle.

In 'such a tempering operation, the cooling is to be applied to a number of dififerent portions of theinternal-surface of the "hollow glass article to be tempered and the glass cooling effect required at some of these portions maybe different than that required at others. A nozzle projecting into such a hollow article and provided with :jetholes or dischargeopenings of a predetermined size or sizes and located at predetermined places longitudinally and/or circumferentially of the nozzle therefore 15 *n ecessaryordes'irable for use toapply the "cooling fluid in a distributed manner to the internal surface of the *hollow glass article to be tempered. A serious difficulty :in the way of successful use of a cooling fluid consisting of Water spray in the air or gas under pressure supplied to such a nozzle is that the liquid particles will not remain separate anddistributed throughout the currents or streams of air or gaslpassirrg through the bore of the nozzle to and through the nozzle discharge openings or jet holes. Instead, such water particles tend to accumulate in undesirably large drops or masses, the presence of which in or on the nozzle interferes with "the.

intended distribution of cooling fluid to the several portions of the internal surface of the hollow glass article to be tempered. The undesired drop or masses of liquid may locally chill portions of the fall of the glass article so as to cause checking or fracture thereof.

An object of the present invention is :to obviate or substantially reduce difirculties such as those above pointed out as being inherent in a cooling fluid consisting of Water spray carried by air or other gas under pressure.

A further object of the invention is to provide a glass cooling fluid of the water spray type 2 which "will "be suitable for-effective application by a nozzle-to the internal surface of --a bottle or other hollow "glass article.

"I attain the foregoing and-other objects ofthe invention .by mixing a suitable wetting agent with "the water to be atomized informing awalter spray glass "cooling fluid "for use in tempering bottles orother hollowg'lass articles. The wetthis agent serves to reduce the "surface tension of the-wateriandnot only promotes the "formation of liner and more mist for given amounts of Water andair but also improves the action "o'fthe liquid components "of such mist during the passage there-of through the '=bo'-re of "a tempering nozzle to andthrough the discharge openings or jet holes "of suchnozzle. Specifically, the film of liquidomthewall-o'f' the nozzle bore will bethinn-e'r and more uniform throughout the entire area'of thatwall. Such filmwi'I-l supply liquid uniformly to each discharge opening or jet hole at all points around the-inner end thereof, rather than in an objectionably large *drop or -'rnass at "one's'ide of such'discharge opening or jet hole as was likely to occur in thewater spray cooling fluids of prior proposals. Re-atomization of liquid from the film on the wall oi the nozzle bore will take place at the inner end of each -'discharge opening or jet hole "and will not be retarded or the resultant spray made coarse and non-uniform by excessive masses or "drops of liquid whichin prior proposals temporarily may partially or con'ipletely obstruct such "an opening or jet hole.

"The nozzle and the "glass article to be cooled may be supported in "cooperative relation with each other by any suitable known or preferred supporting and operating mechanism. The detailsolf a'nyisuchfmecha'nism are immaterial so far as the method of "the present invention is concerned. An understanding or themethod of the invention will 'be aided "by the accompanying drawings-inwhich:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view, partly in elevatilon and partly in vertical section, showing a nozzle and a hollow glass article in cooperative relation-with each other, the article being shown as resting upon a support; and

Fig. 2 is a relatively enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view of a portion of the wall of the tempering nozzle showing a film of liquid on the inner surface thereof'around a jet hole in such wall.

As shown in Fig. 1, a hollow glass article I, the internal surface of which is to be chilled, stands in an upright position upon a support 2. A tempering nozzle 3 depends with-in the""h'ol1ow glass article l in axial alignment therewith. The tempering nozzle 3 is provided with jet holes 4 through its wall.

Only the portion of the nozzle that depends into the glass article and is provided with jet holes is shown as such nozzle may be substantially like any suitable known tempering nozzle, as for example, the nozzle body shown in Patent No. 2,345,808, of April 4, 1944, to Thomas D. Green. The bore or internal chamber of the tempering nozzle is designated 9 in Fig. 1 and may be supplied with mist of the character described in any suitable known manner, no means therefor being shown.

The air-water-wetting agent spray will be blown throughout the internal chamber or bore 9 of the tempering nozzle and discharge from this spray will take place through the jet holes 4 so as to subject the internal surface of the hollow glass article 1 to a fine, -well distributed, cooling mist, indicated at 26. The liquid component of the spray will in part accumulate as a film, indicated at 21 in Fig. 2, on the inner wall of the tempering nozzle. The addition of the wetting agent to the water will keep this film relatively thin and uniform throughout the entire area of the inner wall of the nozzle. In consequence, the out-rush or air and entrained liquid through the jet hole will continuously atomize liquid from the film at the inner edge and endportion of the jet hole.

There are many different wetting agents which may be used to reduce the surface tension of water so that the latter may be used in a water spray cooling fluid suitable for application by a nozzle to the internal surface of a hollow glass article in accordance with the present invention. Examples of such wetting agents are soap, caprylic alcohol, sodium oleate, glycerine and various commercial products, such as drone which are sold on the market under trade names or trade-marks. The wetting agent selected may be added to the water and the resultant product atomized in any suitable known way by any suitable known means and supplied to the tempering nozzle.

The ratio of wetting agent to the water component may vary with the wetting agent and to a considerable degree for the same wetting agent. With the wetting agent specifically named, good results may be obtained by using one part Wetting agent to one hundred to one thousand parts water (and some of the commercial types of wetting agents may be diluted much more, as by using one part ofsuch a wetting agent to as much as ten thousand parts water. The important point is that enough of the particular wetting agent selected should be used to reduce the surface tension thereof sufficiently to obviate or substantially reduce the difficulties attendant upon attempted use of water alone ina spray type of cooling fluid for use in tempering glassware.

The principle of the invention may be employed to eifect desirable reduction of surface tension of the main liquid component of any other 4 gas-liquid spray cooling fluid that it is desired to use in tempering glassware and which would be unsuitable for such use without the addition thereto of a suitable wetting agent.

I claim:

1. The method of cooling a heated hollow glass article by applying a cooling fluid 0d? the liquid spray type through a nozzle provided with jet holes to the interior 01f such article when it is at a temperature above the strain point of the glass thereof, comprising the steps of adding a wetting agent to water, atomizing the resultant product, and spraying the atomized product from the nozzle through the jet holes thereof onto the inner surface of said hollow glass article.

2. The method of cooling a heated hollow glass article, such as a bottle, by applying a cooling fluid of the liquid spray type through a nozzle provided with jet holes to the interior of the hollow glass article when the latter is at a temperature above the strain point of the glass thereof, comprisingthe steps of adding a small amount of a wetting agent to water to reduce the surface tension thereof, atomizin the resultant product and discharging jets of the atomized product through the jet holes of the nozzle onto the inner surface of said hollow glass article.

3. The method of cooling a heated hollow glass article, such as a bottle, by applying a cooling fluid of the liquid spray type through a nozzle provided with jet holes to the interior of such glass article when it is at a temperature substantially above the strain point of the glass thereof, which comprises providing a mist of water to which a small amount of a wetting agent for the water has been added and air under pressure within said nozzle, and discharging jets of said mist from the nozzle through the jet holes thereof onto the inner surface of said hollow glass article.

THEODORE C. BAICER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the Steel Treating Practice, Sherry. Published by McGraw-Hill Book 00., Inc., N. Y., 1929. Page 116. (Copy in Div. 3.) 

